Inking mechanism



Qzt. 24, 1939.

E. J. LEMBCKE 2,177,261

INKING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31,- 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z g IHVENTOR.

1 i WWW 1+ TTORNEYS 1939. E. J. LEMBCKE, 2,177,261

INKING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mun w x v I ll ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 24, 1939 PATENT orricr.

INKING MECHANISM Elmer J. Lembcke, Berwyn, Ill., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, IlL, a

v corporation of Illinois Application August 31, 1937, Serial No. 161,733

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to inking mechanisms and more particularly to novel and improved inking mechanisms particularly adapted for use in connection with high-speed rotary printing presses.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious here-from, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, construction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

"The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate twoembodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a typical and illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and

'Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved inking feed mechanism in which the amount of ink to be transferred from the ink fountain to the distrib uting cylinder of the printing press may be accurately, minutely and easily varied while the press is in operation. A further object is the provision of an inking mechanism having a ductor roll in which the dwell of the ductor roll may be varied. Still another object is the provision of an inking mechanism in which feed rollers of diiferent size may be substituted without varying the dwell of the feed roller.

In the present embodiment of the invention, there is provided an inking mechanism having a fountain roller, a distributing cylinder and an oscillatable feed or ductor roller which is adapted to contact alternately with the fountain roller and distributing cylinder and thereby supply a regulable and predetermined amount of ink to the cylinder and thereby to the printing plate. lhe means for oscillating the feed roller provide for substituting feed rollers of different size without varying the dwell of the feed roller, and also provide for varying the dwell of the feed roller against the fountain roller while the press is operating and by means of a single adjustment, thereby eliminating the necessity for adjusting the dwell and then adjusting the pressure exerted by the feed roller on the distributing cylinder. These oscillating means preferably include a rotary cam or eccentric driving an oscillatable link which may be variably positioned and drives a lever oscillatably connected with the feed roller, the

variable positioning of the link serving to vary the dwell but always maintaining the extreme throw of the roller at a constant limit. In one form, the shiftable link serves to interconnect two levers, one of which is driven by the cam and the other of which is oscillatably connected to the feed roller, the two levers being parallel to each other at the extreme throw or when the feed roller is in contact with the distributing cylinder. In another form of the invention, the oscillatable feed roller is driven by means of a link which is variably connected to the feed roller lever, this link being driven by a cam, and the link being attached to the feed roller lever at a point which lies on an arc concentric with the cam. Means are also provided, for independently varying the position of the feed roller with respect to its driving means, so as to accommodate rollers of slightly different size.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed descripticn as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative em bodiment of the invention as shown in Figure l of the drawings, there is provided an inking mechanism having the conventional fountain roller to, distributing cylinder 52, and feed roller 54, all contained within a housing 16, the fountain roller It and distributing cylinder being adapted to be driven by the press in any desired or known manner, while the feed roller may be rotatably driven by frictional contact with the fountain roller and cylinder. A regulable thickness of ink film on the surface of the fountain roller i3 is transferred to the feed roller it, while they are in contact, and when the feed roller moves into contact with the distributing cylinder l2 ink is transferred to the cylinder and from there is transferred to the printing plates in the known manner.

Means are provided for moving the feed roller [4 into alternate contact with the fountain roller and distributing cylinder periodically and with a uniform and predetermined period of contact between the feed roller and distributing cylinder, and for varying its period of contact with the feed roller, thereby accurately determining the amount of ink transferred. As embodied, the feed roller is freely rotatably mounted by its ends in bell-cranks or arms 26 which are keyed to shaft 22 and on one end of the shaft is mounted a bell crank 25 which may be moved angularly with respect to the shaft 22 and the arms 25. At its upper end bell crank 2 is provided with an aperture 2% into which projects a pin 23 projecting from the adjacent arm 2t, and opposed locked screws 30 are provided for holding the pin 28 fast with respect to the bell crank 24. One of the other arms of the bell crank is provided with a cylinder i 2.

flat surface 32 which may be brought into'parallel relation with respect to another flat surface 34 formed as a part of lever 36 when the feed roller is in ink transferring contact with the distributing A third arm of the bell crank is provided with a forked end 38 which fits over a stationary rod lfi on which is coiled a spring 42 which may be variably compressed by means of the nuts 44 and serves to move the feed roller Hi out of contact with the distributing cylinder 42.

Means are provided for oscillating the lever 36 to oscillate the feed roller, and as embodied, the lever is pivotally mounted on a stub shaft 46 and at its outer end carries a cam roller 48 to contact with the surface of the cam 50 which is driven slowly by the press during its operation. Cam 5G is provided with an eccentric portion 50 and, a concentric portion 50'', the concentric portion serving to hold the feed roller l4 in contact with the distributing cylinder l2. Link means are provided for interconnecting the lever 36 and the bell crank 24 so as to oscillate the bell crank and feed roller by the oscillation of the lever 36 which, in turn, is caused by the rotation of the cam 59. Asembodied, a roller 52 is positioned between the parallel fiat surfaces 32 and 34, and means are provided for bodily shifting the roller 52 along these surfaces, thereby changing the leverage or gearing ratio between the lever 36 and the bell crank 24 and causing the feed roller to be oscillated at different speeds of travel. This roller may be moved by means of the forked end 54 of the rod 56 which is pivotally connected with the threaded rod 58, and may be moved back and forth and held in any desired position by means of the internally threaded bevel gear 6!! held against axial movement and in mesh with a corresponding bevel gear 62 which is adapted to be turned by the hand wheel 64.

As the roller 52 is moved to the right, the dwell of the feed roller against the fountain roller is'increased, while as it is moved to the left, the dwell is decreased and the amount of ink transferred to the distributing cylinder varies accord ingly. In the position of the parts as shown in Figure 1, the lever 36 has been raised to its highest position by the concentric surface 5%" of the cam 5e, and this upper position of the lever is not varied by shifting of the roller 52. In this position the surfaces 32 and 34 are parallel, and the screws 30 are so adjusted that the feed roller I4 is in contact with the distributing cylinder l2. As cam 50 rotates, spring 42 forces the feed roller l4 downwardly and into eventual contact with the fountain roller. Hi, from which it is lifted and again brought into contact with distributing cylinder l2 by further rotation of the cam 50.

When it is desired to substitute one feed roller l4 for another, the dwell adjustment is not disturbed, but the different size of feed roller is compensated for by bringing the parts to the position shown in Figure l and by turning the screws 30 until the new feed roll I4 makes a firm contact with the distributing cylinder l2.

Referring now to the modified embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, there is provided the fountain roller I0,

bell crank 24' is angularly movable with respect to hell crank 20, and different sizes of feed rollers l4 may be accommodated in the same way asin Figure 1.

Means are provided for oscillating the bell crank 24 and for varying the dwell of the feed roller l4 against the fountain roller I0, and for this purpose bell crank 24' is formed with an arcuate slot 80, in which is positioned a roller 82 rotatably mounted on the end'of rod 84, and also mounted in the forked end of link 86 which is driven by the cam 88. Arcuate slot 80 in concentric with the center of rotation of cam 88, and thus with the cam 88 at the upper limit of its throw, as shown in Figure 2, roller 82 may be positioned at any desired point along slot ,80 without causing a change in position of the feed roller l4, but this shifting of the roller 82 causes.

the link 86 to be connected with the bell crank 25% at differentleverage ratios.

The position of the connecting roller 82, and thereby the dwell of the feed roller 14 may be varied by means of hand wheel 64 acting through gears 60, 62 and the threaded rod 58, as in the embodiment of Figure 1.

Means are provided for compensating for the Varying period of dwell of the'feed roller l4 against the fountain roller Ill, and for this purpose the link 8Bis extensible and comprises a rod 90 connected to the crank pin 92 and passing through the sleeved end 94 of link 86. -Compression spring 98 is positioned between the collar lilfl on rod fill and the sleeved end 94, and as the cam rotates, spring 98 is compressed while the feed roller i4 is in contact with the fountain roller l0.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. 7

What I claim is:

1. In a printing press inking mechanism the combination of a feed roller for transferring ink from one inking member to another, a bodily movable support for the feed roller, means for bodily moving the feed roller alternately into contact with the inking members, said means 3. An inking mechanism as claimed in claim 1,

in which the pair of members have adjacent flat faces and the link is a bodily movable roller contacting with adjacent flat faces of the pair of members. g

4. An inking mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which the means connecting the member to the roller includes an adjustable connection to accommodate different sizes of rollers.

ELMER J. LEMBCKE. 

